Mortgage Market Concentration, Foreclosures, and House Prices

Posted: 28 May 2013

See all articles by Giovanni Favara

Giovanni Favara

HEC University of Lausanne; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Mariassunta Giannetti

Stockholm School of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI); Swedish House of Finance

Date Written: May 3, 2013

Abstract

This paper shows that in mortgage markets with low concentration, lenders have an excessive propensity to foreclose defaulting mortgages. Though rational, foreclosure decisions by individual lenders may increase aggregate losses because they generate a pecuniary externality that causes house price drops and contagious strategic defaults. In concentrated markets, instead, lenders internalize the adverse effects of mortgage foreclosures on local house prices, and are more inclined to renegotiate defaulting mortgages. Thus, negative income shocks do not trigger strategic defaults, foreclosure rates are lower, and house prices are less volatile. We provide empirical evidence consistent with the theory using U.S. counties during the 2007-2009 housing market collapse.

Keywords: house prices, foreclosures, bank concentration

JEL Classification: G01, G21, R31, R38

Suggested Citation

Favara, Giovanni and Giannetti, Mariassunta, Mortgage Market Concentration, Foreclosures, and House Prices (May 3, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2270669 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2270669

Giovanni Favara

HEC University of Lausanne ( email )

Unil Dorigny, Batiment Internef
Lausanne, 1015
Switzerland

HOME PAGE: http://www.hec.unil.ch/gfavara/

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

c/o University of Geneve
40, Bd du Pont-d'Arve
1211 Geneva, CH-6900
Switzerland

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Mariassunta Giannetti (Contact Author)

Stockholm School of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 6501
Sveavagen 65
SE-113 83 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 8 736 9607 (Phone)
+46 8 312 327 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/mariassuntagiannetti/Home

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

HOME PAGE: http://www.ecgi.org

Swedish House of Finance ( email )

Drottninggatan 98
111 60 Stockholm
Sweden

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